Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Marymount’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is a total health and fitness program designed to benefit patients recently hospitalized or undergoing treatment for coronary heart disease. Our Cardiac Rehab staff provides the individualized support and attention each patient needs to recover quickly and resume a full, satisfying life.

We help our patients and their families understand what causes heart disease and how to reduce the risk of recurrent problems. Our goal is to provide positive guidance for healthy living at the right level of activity. The rehabilitation program is in four phases, with plans tailored to each patient's individual needs, abilities and medical condition.

For more information on our Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, call 216.587.8819.

Cardiac Rehab Phase I begins in the hospital as soon as your acute heart condition is under control. Our cardiac rehab nurses provide support, education and information about pertinent cardiac problems and risk factors to every patient and their family.

Phase II: Outpatient Monitored Exercise

Phase II is an outpatient program of exercise and education. Patients who need cardiac strengthening are referred by their physician and need not have completed Phase I.

Before entering our program, a health history and the results of an exercise stress test are needed to develop a person's exercise prescription.

This phase lasts 10-12 weeks with hour-long monitored exercise sessions, three times a week. Each patient's progress is reviewed often, and the exercise plan is adjusted as the heart/lung capacity improves. Each physician is also advised of their patient's progress.

At the completion of this phase, another stress test is performed to measure your overall success.

Phase III: Self-Monitoring and Education

Patients who have participated in Phase II and wish to maintain cardiac fitness may take advantage of Phase III.

Exercise sessions are conducted much like those in Phase II, with each patient now accepting further responsibility for self-monitoring and record keeping.

Phase III sessions meet for one hour, three times a week.

Phase II and III also include a weekly educational component at the end of an exercise hour. These "mini-seminars" are conducted by our Cardiac Rehab team, offering a range of practical, heart healthy information.

Family members are invited to attend any or all of these sessions with their loved one.

Phase IV: Open Exercise Program

Following a minimum of six months in Phase III, patients may continue their exercise regime indefinitely in Phase IV.

This phase is an unmonitored "open" exercise program where Cardiac Rehab patients may continue exercising on their own in the familiar surroundings of Marymount's Cardiac Rehab Center.

Overseen by our Exercise Physiologist, Phase IV patients conduct an independent exercise workout at any time during the Center's open hours.

Equipment

During exercise therapy, patients use such heart-strengthening equipment as:

Digital treadmill

Bicycle ergometer

Rowing machine

Bicycle

Stair climber

Arm ergometer

Phase II and III sessions include:

Warm-up stage of low-level exercise

Sustained aerobic stage

Final "cool down" stage of muscle strengthening and relaxation

Staff

Our Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is staffed by a highly skilled team of health professionals committed to the finest standards of safety and quality care.